Welcome to “Campaign Briefing”

Governor

(Kansas Public Radio) Interview with Jim Barnett: :Until this summer, Kansas State Senator Jim Barnett was relatively unknown outside the statehouse and his hometown of Emporia. Today, he's the Republican nominee for governor, and he faces the task of trying to unseat incumbent Democrat Kathleen Sebelius in November. Besides serving in the Senate, Barnett is also a practicing physician. KPR's Peter Hancock recently spoke with him about his campaign... and asked Barnett what prompted him to add a political career on top of his medical practice.

(AP) Legal status checked before state aid: Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has directed state agencies to make sure they verify that adults receiving social services are legal Kansas residents, a move that she said Wednesday was prompted by a new federal law. ... Sen. Jim Barnett, the GOP gubernatorial nominee, has repeatedly criticized Sebelius over support for a 2004 law allowing some illegal immigrants to pay lower tuition reserved for other Kansas residents attending state universities and colleges.

3rd District Congress

(University Daily Kansan) Candidate speaks at ECM: A U.S. House of Representatives candidate spoke at a university forum Wednesday at the Ecumenical Christian Ministries. Chuck Ahner, a Republican, spoke to about 35 people about his candidacy and what he could offer if voted into Congress. ... Ahner said he hoped people could look beyond his lack of name recognition. "People look for star power to go to Washington," Ahner said. "I ask people to look at my record."

Election 2006

(LJW) Low turnout prompts call for new primary date: Described as "horrendous," Kansas' 18.2 percent voter turnout in the Aug. 1 primary may prompt a change in future primary election dates, officials said Wednesday. "It's time to at least look at the date when Kansans cast their primary votes," said Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh. "We can't ignore the horrendous turnout from this last primary." Gov. Kathleen Sebelius echoed his concern.